Written Answers Monday 15 March 2010

Scottish Executive

Ambulance Service

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) longest, (b) shortest and (c) average ambulance call-out time was in (i) the NHS Lothian area and (ii) Scotland in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-29061 on 1 December 2009. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx .

  The Scottish Government does not hold information on the longest and shortest ambulance call-out times. However, where the emergency response time standard relevant to the call priority is not met then the reasons for that are investigated and are recorded by the Scottish Ambulance Service. This helps to inform the service’s efforts towards securing continuous service improvement.

Children (Scotland) Act 1995

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals were made to the children’s hearing system in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus under section 52(2)(c) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals were made to the children’s hearing system in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus under section 52(2)(j) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is a matter for the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) and is not held centrally.

  The information is, however, available in the main tables 3(a) and 3(b) of the online statistics published by SCRA, for the years of interest to the member. The SCRA online statistical service can be accessed at http://www.scra.gov.uk/publications/online_statistical_service.cfm.

Children (Scotland) Act 1995

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many referrals were made to the children’s hearing system in (a) Dundee and (b) Angus under section 52(2) of the Children (Scotland) Act 1995 in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Adam Ingram: The information requested is a matter for the Scottish Children’s Reporter Administration (SCRA) and is not held centrally.

  The information is, however, available in the Main Tables 3(a) and 3(b) of the Online Statistics published by SCRA, for the years 2006-07, 2007-08 and 2008-09 respectively.

  The SCRA online Statistical Service can be accessed at: http://www.scra.gov.uk/publications/online_statistical_service.cfm. (2008-09) and

  http://www.scra.gov.uk/publications/archive/online_statistical_service.cfm (2006-07 and 2007-08).

Crime

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what disposals were applied to people convicted of carrying a knife or other bladed weapon in the Lothians region in 2008-09.

Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons Convicted of Carrying an Offensive Weapon1 in Lothians Region, in 2008-09, by Disposal

  

Offences/Disposals
2008-09


Having in a public place an article with a blade or point
 


Custody
72


Community sentence
62


Monetary
53


Admonished
26


Other
1


Total
214


Possession of an offensive weapon
 


Custody
36


Community sentence
50


Monetary
72


Admonished
14


Other
0


Total
172


All offences
 


Custody
108


Community sentence
112


Monetary
125


Admonished
40


Other
1


Total
386



  Note: 1. Where main offence. Handling an offensive weapon covers the crime categories: possession of an offensive weapon, restriction of an offensive weapon and having in a public place an article with a blade or point.

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes of carrying a bladed or pointed instrument were recorded in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Fergus Ewing: The number of crimes of handling an offensive weapon recorded by the eight police forces in Scotland, in each of the last five years, is shown in the following tables.

  Crimes of Handling an Offensive Weapon, by Police Force Area, 2004-05

  

 Police Force Area
2004-05


Possession of an Offensive Weapon
Restriction of Offensive Weapon
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Total


Central
297
0
112
409


Dumfries and Galloway
102
1
14
117


Fife
180
0
91
271


Grampian
444
0
171
615


Lothian and Borders
804
1
275
1,080


Northern
211
0
76
287


Strathclyde
3,533
0
2,874
6,407


Tayside
223
0
136
359


Scotland
5,794
2
3,749
9,545



  Crimes of Handling an Offensive Weapon, by Police Force Area, 2005-06

  

 Police Force Area
2005-06


Possession of an Offensive Weapon
Restriction of Offensive Weapon
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Total


Central
277
0
101
378


Dumfries and Galloway
127
0
10
137


Fife
197
0
76
273


Grampian
431
0
157
588


Lothian and Borders
814
0
396
1,210


Northern
226
2
102
330


Strathclyde
3,697
1
2,679
6,377


Tayside
213
0
122
335


Scotland
5,982
3
3,643
9,628



  Crimes of Handling an Offensive Weapon, by Police Force Area, 2006-07

  

 Police Force Area
2006-07


Possession of an Offensive Weapon
Restriction of Offensive Weapon
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Total


Central
309
0
190
499


Dumfries and Galloway
98
0
61
159


Fife
224
0
117
341


Grampian
410
0
195
605


Lothian and Borders
955
0
457
1,412


Northern
312
0
93
405


Strathclyde
3,677
1
2,665
6,343


Tayside
204
0
142
346


Scotland
6,189
1
3,920
10,110



  Crimes of Handling an Offensive Weapon, by Police Force Area, 2007-08

  

 Police force area
2007-08


Possession of an Offensive Weapon
Restriction of Offensive Weapon
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Total


Central
233
0
152
385


Dumfries and Galloway
85
0
48
133


Fife
202
2
110
314


Grampian
346
1
239
586


Lothian and Borders
779
0
407
1,186


Northern
287
0
90
377


Strathclyde
3,299
0
2,389
5,688


Tayside
167
0
153
320


Scotland
5,398
3
3,588
8,989



  Crimes of Handling an Offensive Weapon, by Police Force Area, 2008-09

  

 Police force area
2008-09


Possession of an Offensive Weapon
Restriction of Offensive Weapon
Having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point
Total


Central
210
1
215
426


Dumfries and Galloway
74
0
53
127


Fife
247
0
159
406


Grampian
361
0
229
590


Lothian and Borders
756
1
436
1,193


Northern
266
0
94
360


Strathclyde
2,802
6
2,660
5,468


Tayside
176
0
234
410


Scotland
4,892
8
4,080
8,980



  Crimes of handling an offensive weapon include crimes of possession of an offensive weapon, restriction of offensive weapons and having in a public place an article with a blade or point.

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offences of common assault were recorded in each of the last five years, broken down by police force area.

Fergus Ewing: The following table shows the number of minor assaults recorded by the police, by police force area, 2004-05 to 2008-09.

  

Police Force Area
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


Central
3,848
3,620
4,294
4,267
3,823


Dumfries and Galloway
2,100
1,833
2,068
1,658
1,687


Fife
5,677
5,377
5,707
5,430
5,668


Grampian
7,527
7,982
7,929
7,330
7,536


Lothian and Borders
12,664
12,675
14,431
13,355
12,421


Northern
3,340
3,256
3,655
3,698
3,837


Strathclyde
34,751
32,997
34,522
32,761
33,994


Tayside
3,804
4,541
5,561
5,024
5,164


Scotland
73,711
72,281
78,167
73,523
74,130

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of people convicted of carrying a bladed or pointed instrument in the last year has (a) a previous conviction, (b) a previous conviction for the same offence and (c) more than one previous conviction for the same offence.

Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table.

  The crime category for handling an offensive weapon includes the offences of having in a public place an article with a blade or point, possession of an offensive weapon and restriction of offensive weapons. Over the last three years overall, the type of weapon has been recorded with around two-thirds of offences. Where the type of weapon has been recorded, for the offence of having in a public place an article with a blade or point, 90 per cent of the weapons are knives, and, for the offence of possession of an offensive weapon, 22 per cent of weapons are knives. There were no main offences of restriction of offensive weapons in 2008-09.

  Individuals with a Charge Proved for Offensive Weapon Offences1, 2008-09

  

 Offence
 Individuals with a charge proved
 Individuals with a charge proved for any previous offence
 Individuals with one previous charge proved for the same offence
 Individuals with more than one previous charge proved for the same offence


 Possession of an offensive weapon
 1,625
 1,155
 243
 116


 Having in a public place an object with a blade or point
 1,790
 1,351
 277
 165


 Total
 3,415
 2,506
 520
 281



  

 Offence
 % Individuals with a charge proved for any previous offences
 % Individuals with one previous charge proved for the same offence
 % Individuals with more than one previous charge proved for the same offence


 Possession of an offensive weapon
 72
 15
 7


 Having in a public place an object with a blade or point
 75
 15
 9


 Total
 73
 15
 8



  Note: 1. Where main offence.

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to hospital due to assault by a sharp object in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) sex, (b) type of admission and (c) NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The numbers of emergency and elective hospital admissions due to assault by a sharp object, broken down by gender and NHS board of treatment, discharged during financial years ending 31 March 2000 to 2009 are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50445).

  Additional data and commentary on assault by a sharp object is published as part of ISD’s Unintentional Injuries publication http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5327.html.

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to hospital due to assault by firearms discharge in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) sex, (b) type of admission and (c) NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The numbers of emergency and elective hospital admissions due to assault by firearm discharge, broken down by gender and discharged from hospital during financial years ending 31 March 2000 to 2009 are shown in the table below.

  In order to protect patient confidentiality, cells with small numbers have been suppressed in the table below. Some cells have also been suppressed to prevent data being disclosed through differencing.

  Data has not been shown at NHS board level because suppression of the small numbers involved would lead to almost all data being suppressed. This would include totals for NHSScotland which would require suppression to prevent disclosure through differencing.

  Number of Admissions1 due to Assault by Firearm2 Discharge, by Type of Admission3 and Sex. NHSScotland. Years Ending 31 March 2000 to 2009

  

Type of Admission
Sex
Year of Discharge Ending 31 March


2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009


Emergency
Male
*
*
11
*
19
12
*
*
15
*


 
Female
*
*
-
*
-
-
*
*
-
*


 
Total
19
18
11
27
19
12
18
15
15
17


Elective
Male
*
*
*
8
*
*
6
6
15
7


 
Female
*
-
*
-
*
*
-
-
-
-


 
Total
*
*
*
8
6
6
6
6
15
7



  Source: SMR01 (ISD Scotland).

  Notes:

  - zero value.

  *suppressed4.

  1. Hospital admission data are derived from linked records on discharges from non-obstetric and non-psychiatric hospitals (SMR01) in Scotland

  2. Assault by firearm discharge is defined as ICD-10 code X93-X95 in any secondary diagnosis position

  3. Emergency admissions are identified in SMR01 by the following type of admission codes: 30-39. Elective admissions are identified in SMR01 by the following type of admission codes: 10-22

  4. In order to protect patient confidentiality, cells with small numbers have been suppressed. Some cells have also been suppressed to prevent data being disclosed through differencing.

  5. Totals for both types of admissions have not been included as elective patients are likely to have been previously admitted as an emergency.

Crime

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been admitted to hospital due to assault by a blunt object in each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) sex, (b) type of admission and (c) NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The numbers of emergency and elective hospital admissions due to assault by a blunt object, broken down by gender and NHS board of treatment, discharged during financial years ending 31 March 2000 to 2009 are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 50446).

DNA Samples

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children aged (a) 16 or 17, (b) 12 to 15 and (c) under 12 currently have their DNA (i) samples and (ii) profiles retained in the Scottish DNA Database, broken down by the power under which the samples and profiles are retained.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals aged 18 and over have their DNA (a) samples and (b) profiles retained in the Scottish DNA Database, broken down by the power under which the samples and profiles are retained.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the age is of the youngest Scot who has a DNA sample and profile retained on the Scottish DNA Database.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the age is of the oldest Scot who has a DNA sample and profile retained on the Scottish DNA Database.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what proportion of the population has its DNA samples and profiles retained in the Scottish DNA Database.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many DNA (a) samples and (b) profiles were retained in the Scottish DNA Database at the end of each of the last 10 years.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many DNA (a) samples and (b) profiles were added to the Scottish DNA Database in each of the last 10 years.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are plans to reform DNA retention rules in order to provide that DNA samples are no longer retained once computerised DNA profiles have been obtained and stored on the Scottish DNA Database.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual cost is of retaining DNA samples.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many DNA samples and profiles, relating to old or minor convictions, have been weeded and destroyed in each of the last five years as part of ongoing weeding practices.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what rules govern the weeding of DNA data in relation to old and minor offences.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how old and minor offences are defined in the weeding rules for DNA data relating to such offences.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals have appealed to have their DNA removed from the Scottish DNA Database in each of the last five years and how many of these appeals have been successful.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scots currently have their fingerprint data held on the UK National Fingerprint Database.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scots aged under 18 currently have their fingerprint data held on the UK National Fingerprint Database.

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish fingerprint data samples were added to the UK National Fingerprint Database in each of the last 10 years.

Kenny MacAskill: The detailed information requested is currently being collated and I will write to the member as soon as the information is available. A copy will be placed in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre:

  Document Title: Information on Forensic Databases – Requested by Robert Brown MSP (Bib. number 50444).

Drug Misuse

Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what percentage of drug users are estimated to have injected drugs in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) NHS board area, (ii) deprivation quintile, (iii) age range and (iv) gender.

Fergus Ewing: Information on the number and percentage of drug users who are estimated to have injected drugs in each of the last five years broken down by (i) NHS board area, (ii) deprivation quintile, (iii) age range and (iv) gender is not held centrally.

  Statistical estimates1 of the number of drug injectors and the prevalence of drug injecting in Mainland Scotland have been published by ISD Scotland for the years 2003 and 2006. The reports are available at:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/prevreport2004.pdf 

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/Prevalence_2009.pdf.

  Table 1, below, shows the estimated1 number and prevalence of people who injected drugs in mainland Scotland in 2003 and 2006 by NHS board area.

  Table 1: Estimates1 of the Number and Prevalence2 of Drug Injectors in Mainland Scotland3 by NHS Board Area in 2003 and 2006

  

 
 2003
 2006


Total Estimate
Estimated Prevalence
  (% of Population Aged 15 to 54 years)
Total Estimate
Estimated Prevalence
  (% of Population Aged 15 to 64 years)


 Scotland (Mainland)3
 18,737
 0.67%
 23,933
 0.71%


 NHS Board
 


 Argyll and Clyde4
 2,199
 0.96%
 N/A
 N/A


 Ayrshire and Arran
 1,715
 0.88%
 2,373
 0.99%


 Borders
 87
 0.16%
 201
 0.29%


 Dumfries and Galloway
 663
 0.89%
 486
 0.52%


 Fife
 1,124
 0.60%
 1,270
 0.53%


 Forth Valley
 901
 0.58%
 786
 0.41%


 Grampian
 2,842
 0.96%
 3,056
 0.85%


 Greater Glasgow and Clyde4
 4,908
 0.98%
 8,862
 1.10%


 Highland4
 373
 0.34%
 734
 0.37%


 Lanarkshire
 1,146
 0.38%
 1,649
 0.44%


 Lothian
 1,685
 0.37%
 3,262
 0.59%


 Tayside
 1,094
 0.52%
 1,254
 0.49%



  Source: Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Problem Drug Misuse in Scotland, University of Glasgow. Reports published by ISD Scotland in January 2005 and October 2009.

  Notes:

  1. Please note that the figures in table 1 for both the total estimate and the estimated prevalence of drug injecting are statistical estimates and as such do not represent actual numbers.

  2. The estimated prevalence figures represent the number of drug injectors expressed as a percentage of Scotland’s population aged 15 to 54 for the 2003 estimates and 15 to 64 for the 2006 estimates. While estimates were provided at NHS board level, breakdowns by deprivation, age or gender were not presented in these reports.

  3. Estimates of the number and prevalence of drug injectors were calculated for the mainland areas of Scotland, based on multiple sources of information, as described in the full report. Island areas such as Orkney, Western Isles and Shetland were excluded from calculations for the above table because the available data sources identified very few drug injectors in these areas and, therefore, there was insufficient evidence to obtain an injecting prevalence estimate using the capture-recapture method.

  4. As a result of health board restructuring, the following points should be noted:

  Estimates for Argyll and Clyde Health Board are available for 2003 but not 2006 (Argyll and Clyde Health Board was dissolved in April 2006, part of Argyll and Clyde Health Board was assigned to Highland Health Board. The remainder of Argyll and Clyde Health Board went to the newly formed Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board).

  Estimates for 2003 relate to Greater Glasgow Health Board area, whilst 2006 estimates relate to Greater Glasgow and Clyde Health Board area.

  Estimates for 2003 for Highland Health Board area relate to NHS Highland area before the dissolution of Argyll and Clyde. 2006 estimates relate to NHS Highland with the addition of part of Argyll and Clyde.

Drug Misuse

Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the population is estimated to have injected drugs in each of the last five years.

Fergus Ewing: Information on the percentage of the population estimated to have injected drugs in each of the last five years is not held centrally.

  Statistical estimates1 of the number of drug injectors and the prevalence of drug injecting in Mainland Scotland have been published by ISD Scotland for the years 2003 and 2006. The reports are available at:

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/prevreport2004.pdf

  http://www.drugmisuse.isdscotland.org/publications/local/Prevalence_2009.pdf.

  Table 1, below, shows the estimated1 number and prevalence of drug injectors in mainland Scotland in 2003 and 2006.

  Table 1: Estimates1 of the Number and Prevalence2 of Drug Injectors in (Mainland)3 Scotland in 2003 and 2006

  

 
2003
2006


Total Estimate
Estimated prevalence amongst population aged 15 to 54 years
Total Estimate
Estimated prevalence amongst population aged 15 to 64 years


Scotland (Mainland)
18,737
0.67%
23,933
0.71%



  Source: Estimating the National and Local Prevalence of Drug Misuse in Scotland, University of Glasgow, Reports published by ISD Scotland in January 2005 and October 2009.

  Notes:

  1. The figures provided in table 1 for both the number of people injecting drugs and the estimated prevalence are estimates and as such do not represent actual numbers.

  2. The prevalence figure represents the number of drug injectors expressed as a percentage of Scotland’s population aged 15 to 54 for the 2003 estimates and 15 to 64 for the 2006 estimates.

  3. Estimates of the number and prevalence of drug injectors was calculated for the mainland areas of Scotland based on multiple sources of information, as described in the full report. Island areas such as Orkney, Western Isles and Shetland were excluded from calculations for the above Table because the available data sources identified very few drug injectors in these areas and, as a result, there was insufficient evidence to obtain an injecting prevalence estimate using the capture-recapture method.

Drug Misuse

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31498 by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2010, how many adults in Fife reported ever using drugs in crime and justice surveys in 2006-07, broken down by type of drug.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey was carried out in 2006 and provided information at Scotland level. Due to the small sample size (4,988) in 2006, the results are not available below Scotland level, so the information requested for Fife cannot be provided. The drugs misuse report for 2006 can be found at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/26163243/0.

Drug Misuse

Claire Baker (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31498 by Fergus Ewing on 4 March 2010, how many adults in Fife reported ever using drugs in crime and justice surveys in 2007-08, broken down by type of drug.

Fergus Ewing: The information requested is not held centrally.

  The Scottish Crime Survey was not conducted in 2007-08 so this information is not available for this time period. The Scottish Crime and Victimisation Survey was carried out in 2006 and again in 2008-09, as the renamed Scottish Crime and Justice Survey.

  The drugs misuse report for 2006 can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2007/09/26163243/0.

  The drugs misuse report for 2008-09 can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2010/02/19144504/0.

Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005

Richard Baker (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many charges under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 reported to the Procurator Fiscal in north east Scotland have been the subject of court proceedings in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) section of the act and (b) local authority area.

Frank Mulholland: The following table shows (for each section of the act) the number of charges prosecuted under the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005, based on the year when the charge(s) were reported.

  The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) database does not contain information to identify local authority areas and individual jurisdictions do not always match such areas. As a result, the information has been split by Procurator Fiscal Offices.

  Charges: Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 20051,2 

  

Procurator Fiscal Office
Section
2006-07
2007-08
2008-09


Aberdeen
Section: 1 (1)
9 
3 
8 


Section: 2 (1)
2 
4 
2 


Section: 5 (1)
3 
4 
3 


Arbroath
Section: 1 (1)
- 
2 
2 


Section: 2 (1)
- 
- 
1 


Section: 5 (1)
1 
- 
- 


Banff
Section: 1 (1)
- 
- 
1 


Dundee
Section: 1 (1)
- 
- 
9 


Section: 2 (1)
8 
2 
- 


Section: 5 (1)
7 
7 
5 


Forfar
Section: 1 (1)
- 
1 
- 


Peterhead
Section: 1 (1)
- 
- 
2 


Section: 2 (1)
- 
1 
- 


Stonehaven
Section: 1 (1)
- 
- 
1 



  Notes:

  1. The information for this question has been extracted from the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Case Management Database. The database is a live, operational database used to manage the processing of reports submitted to procurators fiscal by the police and other reporting agencies. If a Procurator Fiscal amends a charge submitted by a reporting agency the database will record details only of the amended charge.

  2. The database is charge-based. The figures quoted therefore relate to the number of charges rather than the number of individuals charged or the number of incidents that gave rise to such charges.

Food Standards

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are potential health implications for people under 16 from the consumption of energy drinks.

Shona Robison: The European Commission was advised by the Scientific Committee on Foods (SCF) in 2003 on the use of energy drinks. The SCF considered the effects of caffeine intake and noted that caffeine stimulated irritability, nervousness or anxiety in some subjects, particularly if they were normally low consumers of caffeine. However, the SCF also noted that these effects were transient, not long term. For children, who do not normally consume much tea or coffee, and who might substitute energy drinks for other soft drinks, the consumption of energy drinks might result in an increase in their daily caffeine exposure, but there is no maximum level set.

  Another potential health implication is that energy drinks, as with most soft drinks, can contain quite high sugar levels so this would have implications for calorie intake and dental-health.

Further and Higher Education

Charlie Gordon (Glasgow Cathcart) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources are in place for further education colleges to support students with learning difficulties.

Keith Brown: Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (as amended in 2005), all colleges are expected to meet their statutory duties and as such need to consider their provision for all students with learning difficulties.

  Institutions are expected to meet these duties from their core funding which is allocated by the Scottish Funding Council (SFC).

  Core funding reflects college activity. Different courses have different resource requirements and the activity is weighted accordingly. The highest weighting relates to courses specifically designed for students with additional support needs.

  If a student is on one of these specialised courses but has additional support needs, this triggers a higher weighting through the Extended Learning Support weighting which recognises the additional resource requirement.

  Additional information is available at:

  http://www.sfc.ac.uk/news_events_circulars/Circulars/2009/SFC1609.aspx.

  Further education (FE) students with disabilities are eligible to apply for FE Student Support which includes study and travel expenses and may also be eligible to apply for the Additional Support for Learning Allowance.

  In addition, students studying higher education courses in colleges can apply for the Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSA).

Further and Higher Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes there have been between 1999-2000 and 2009-10 in its (a) overall university, (b) overall college and (c) student support funding in (i) cash and (ii) real terms, as expressed as percentages.

Keith Brown: The overall budget allocation to (a) higher education institutions increased by around (i) 82 per cent in cash and by around (ii) 43 per cent in real terms between 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

  The overall budget allocation to (b) further education colleges increased by around (i) 98 per cent in cash and by around (ii) 55 per cent in real terms between 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

  The percentages quoted above are calculated from information contained in the Budget (Scotland) Bills. However, in-year changes are often made following publication. As a result the percentages provided should be viewed as indicative only.

  Student support statistics have not yet been reported for the academic year 2009-10.

Further and Higher Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes there have been between 1999-2000 and 2009-10 in its (a) teaching fund, (b) research and (c) capital funding for universities in (i) cash and (ii) real terms, as expressed as percentages.

Keith Brown: lang="">The Scottish Funding Council funds teaching and research in Scotland’s higher education institutions. However, ring -fenced capital funding was not introduced by the SFC until 2005-06 for universities.

  In order to provide a consistent measure of allocation to current and capital spending in higher education institutions it is necessary to refer to the Budget (Scotland) Bills.

  The budget allocation for current expenditure to cover (a) teaching and (b) research, increased by around (i) 76 per cent in cash and by around (ii) 38 per cent in real terms between 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

  The budget allocation for (c) capital expenditure increased by around (i) 178 per cent in cash and by around (ii) 118 per cent in real terms between 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

  As in-year funding changes are often made following publication of the Budget (Scotland) Bills, the percentages provided should be viewed as indicative only.

Further and Higher Education

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what changes there have been between 1999-2000 and 2009-10 in its (a) revenue, excluding student support, and (b) capital funding for colleges and (c) further education student support in (i) cash and (ii) real terms, as expressed as percentages.

Keith Brown: lang="">The Scottish Funding Council provides funding for revenue and student support to Scotland’s colleges. However, r ing-fenced capital funding was not introduced by the SFC until 2000-01 for colleges.

  In order to provide a consistent measure of allocation to current and capital spending in colleges it is necessary to refer to the Budget (Scotland) Bills.

  The budget allocation for current expenditure to cover (a) revenue excluding student support and (c) further education student support, increased by around (i) 83 per cent in cash and by around (ii) 44 per cent in real terms between 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

  The budget allocation for (b) capital expenditure increased by around (i) 363 per cent in cash and by around (ii) 263 per cent in real terms between 1999-2000 and 2009-10.

  As in-year funding changes are often made following publication of the Budget (Scotland) Bills, the percentages provided should be viewed as indicative only.

General Register Office for Scotland

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to S3W-30527 by Jim Mather on 19 January 2010, what proportion of data is unreadable following the transfer from microfilm or microfiche to a digital format.

Jim Mather: If an image in the digital format now provided by the General Register Office for Scotland is considered unreadable, that only becomes apparent when a member of staff, registrar or customer reports it. I understand about 30 poor quality images are reported each day and that less than one third of these are considered illegible. This compares to a dataset of some 18 million records. Poor quality images, once reported, are re-digitised from the original record and substituted for the image on the database.

General Register Office for Scotland

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation was undertaken by the General Register Office for Scotland before it reached a decision to abandon microfilm and microfiche.

Jim Mather: In November 2009, the General Register Office for Scotland consulted a group of family historians including representatives of the Scottish Association of Family History Societies, the Association of Scottish Genealogists and Researchers in Archives and the Scottish Genealogy Society, as well as regular customers of the ScotlandsPeople Centre. The consultation proposed six options, including the removal of access to the microfiche of the statutory (birth, marriage, death etc) registers and to the microfilm of the pre-1855 parish registers and the Victorian censuses. The consultation ended in January 2010 and the result was published on the ScotlandsPeople Centre website at http://www.scotlandspeoplehub.gov.uk/pdf/Fiche%20letter-Customer.pdf .

  As a result of the consultation, GROS amended its proposals to ensure continued access to the microfilm of the pre-1855 parish registers and the Victorian censuses. Alternative arrangements were put in place for access to the indexes of the statutory (birth, marriage, death etc) registers. These arrangements were put in place on 1 February 2010 and have met with customer satisfaction.

Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what waiting time target applies to patients who have seen a consultant and begun treatment yet need to attend follow-up appointments with their consultant throughout the course of treatment in order to measure response to drug treatment and disease activity.

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what waiting time target applies to patients with early rheumatoid arthritis who have seen a consultant and begun a course of drug treatment yet need to attend follow-up appointments with a consultant in order to measure response to drug treatment and disease activity.

Nicola Sturgeon: There are no targets in relation to follow-up appointments to assess patients response to drug treatment and disease activity. We expect that clinician will keep patients fully informed of their care and the frequency of any follow-up care to monitor their illness. This should be done at the time the drug treatment has been prescribed.

Influenza

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-30007 by Nicola Sturgeon on 13 January 2010, whether it will now provide information on the uptake of the influenza A (H1N1) vaccine, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Accurate and comparable figures on the vaccination programme will not be available until after 31 March 2010 when phase one and two of the programme are complete. Estimated uptake for phase one priority groups broken down by NHS board, are shown in the table below. It should be noted that there is limited representation in some NHS board areas due to the software systems in place, therefore these estimated figures may be an under representation of uptake in some board areas. Uptake rates for the second phase of the vaccination programme will not be available until after 31 March.

  

NHS Board
% Uptake (under 65)
% Uptake (65+)


Ayrshire and Arran
52.6
49.3


Borders
64.6
69.4


Dumfries and Galloway
65.2
65.6


Fife
55.2
58.5


Forth Valley
55.3
60.8


Grampian
49.3
57.0


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
53.7
54.7


Highland
55.3
55.8


Lanarkshire
53.3
53.8


Lothian
52.3
56.0


Orkney
56.6
68.8


Shetland
59.3
57.1


Tayside
54.4
60.3


Western Isles
55.1
50.4


Scotland
54.3
56.1

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many babies required neonatal care in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: Data for calendar years 2005-07, the latest three complete years, and provisional data for 2008 are shown in the following table:

  Table 1: Number of Babies Discharged from Neonatal Units1 by NHS Board of Treatment. Year Ending 31 December 2005-08

  

 
2005
2006
2007
2008P


Scotland
5,955
6,224
6,197
5,811


Ayrshire and Arran
365
361
384
319


Borders
96
107
98
116


Dumfries and Galloway
196
212
205
188


Fife
340
346
320
393


Forth Valley
238
257
275
276


Grampian
791
783
870
730


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
1,388
1,643
1,568
1,364


Highland
261
281
299
284


Lanarkshire
829
870
830
791


Lothian
927
855
880
856


Tayside
519
505
462
490


Islands
5
4
6
4



  Source: Scottish Birth Record.

  PProvisional.

  Note: 1 Includes special care baby units, high dependency units and intensive care units.

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many neonatal beds there are in each NHS board.

Shona Robison: The most recent information collected by Information Services Division on the number of neonatal cot spaces for each NHS board is as follows:

  NHSScotland - Average Available Staffed Beds in Neonatal Units; by NHS Board: Year Ending 31 March 2009P

  

 
2009P


Scotland
349


Ayrshire and Arran
21


Borders
5


Dumfries and Galloway
11


Fife
20


Forth Valley
26


Grampian
38


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
106


Highland
13


Lanarkshire
29


Lothian
58


Orkney
-


Shetland
-


Tayside
23


Western Isles
-



  PProvisional.

  Source: ISD Scotland [ISD(S)1], Reference: ISD/HIG/IR2010-00648. Date: 09/03/10.

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average occupancy rate was for each specialist neonatal unit in each of the last three years, broken down by NHS board.

Shona Robison: Information on bed occupancy rates in neonatal units for each NHS board in the years ending 31 March 2007 to 2009 is shown in the following table.

  NHSScotland - Average Bed Occupancy in Neonatal Units; by NHS Board: Years Ending 31 March 2007-09

  

 
2007
2008
2009P


Scotland
 66
 66
 68


Ayrshire and Arran
 76
 87
 79


Borders
 29
 30
 61


Dumfries and Galloway
 63
 68
 58


Fife
 53
 53
 51


Forth Valley
 60
 55
 62


Grampian
 64
 69
 71


Greater Glasgow and Clyde
 64
 64
 66


Highland
 80
 81
 79


Lanarkshire
 89
 86
 78


Lothian
 66
 65
 70


Orkney
-
-
-


Shetland
-
-
-


Tayside
 75
 63
 69


Western Isles
-
-
-



  PProvisional.

  Source: ISD Scotland [ISD(S)1]. Reference: ISD/HIG/IR2010-00647. Date: 09/03/10.

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) nurses and (b) doctors specialise in neonatal care, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information as requested is not held centrally. Information on staff in post in NHSScotland is published annually by National Services Scotland, as part of the workforce census as at 30 September each year and does include clinical nurse specialties and doctors working in paediatric specialties.

  (a) Data for clinical nurse specialists in neonatology by NHS board is available at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5352.html#cns.

  (b) Data for hospital, community and public health services staff in paediatric specialties by grade and NHS board is available at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5896.html.

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the recent 30th birthday baby report by Bliss, what action will be taken to address the pressures on neonatal units that can result in the closure of units to new admissions.

Shona Robison: Work to develop Managed Clinical Networks (MCNs) for neonatal services is underway and funding and support are being provided to the three regional planning directors to assist this process. In addition, an expert advisory group is being set up to co-ordinate the approaches taken by the three regional MCNs.

  NHSScotland has developed and tested a neonatal nursing workload and workforce tool that will identify the nursing needs of this vulnerable group of babies. The tool is now being implemented across all Scottish neonatal units and will help to develop quality measures for neonatal care and equip NHS boards with valuable information that will inform their planning and provision of services.

  To further increase the nursing capacity, the Scottish Government has funded the training of 20 advance neonatal nurse practitioners to date and has recently invested £100,000 in neonatal education. A further £160,000 has been invested in training this year.

Medication

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated financial value was of wasted medication in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not collected centrally.

Medication

Jim Hume (South of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the consultation by the Department of Health on proposals that would allow generic medicines to be substituted for branded medicines in primary care in England, whether it plans to conduct a similar consultation in Scotland and, if so, what the expected timescale is.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Government is currently considering proposals for consulting in Scotland on the introduction of generic substitution into the NHS. The timetable for implementation will be influenced by the outcome of the consultation.

NHS Staff

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist rheumatology nurses there are in each NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: Information on staff in post in NHSScotland is published annually by National Services Scotland, Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, as part of the workforce census as at 30 September each year. Data for clinical nurse specialists by specialty, NHS region and NHS board is available at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/5352.html#cns .

Public Transport

Michael Matheson (Falkirk West) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what support is being provided to encourage bus operators to purchase hybrid buses.

Stewart Stevenson: As part of the recently announced £740 million three year funding package for the Scottish bus industry, incentives will be provided for Low Carbon Vehicles (LCVs), including hybrid buses, within the Bus Service Operators Grant (BSOG). These vehicles will receive grant at twice the normal rate. The Scottish Government has also provided grant of £1 million to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (SPT) for the purchase of low carbon vehicles. This is currently out to tender.

Rail Network

Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive where each open level crossing is that has been upgraded in the last 20 years to include the addition of barriers; when it was upgraded; at what cost, and what information it has on how this compares with the relevant costs in the rest of (a) the United Kingdom and (b) Europe.

Stewart Stevenson: This is a matter for Network Rail and I have requested them to answer your query.

Rail Network

Dave Thompson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what additional wiring, signalling and other equipment is required when an open level crossing is upgraded to include barriers.

Stewart Stevenson: This will depend on the age and upgrade status of the particular level crossing being upgraded and will also vary considerably with the proposed type of barrier crossing.

  An Automatic [half] Barrier Crossing Locally monitored (ABCL) could include: Re-locatable Equipment Building (REB) including fittings, wiring, batteries, barriers, road signs and fencing.

  Automatic Half Barrier crossing (AHB) are remotely monitored so in addition to above could also require: relocation of track apparatus and equipment cases at each side of crossing; cabling to remote signal box; signal box monitoring equipment and direct telephone link.

  Upgrade to Manually Controlled [full] Barrier crossing (MCB) could require above plus: additional barriers; a minimum of four additional rail signals and interlocking; additional track circuits; CCTV and Lighting; plus extension of existing or even a new signal box.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the role is of the (a) Marine Energy Group, (b) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group and (c) Marine Strategic Studies Forum.

Richard Lochhead: The role of the Marine Energy Group (MEG) was to accelerate delivery of the world’s leading marine energy industry in Scotland and deliver a road map for the sector. The group has completed the road map and (as is common with other Forum for Renewable Energy Development in Scotland groups) has now been stood down. Should a need across industry emerge at a later date that calls for MEG to be reconvened again, the group will be reinstated.

  The Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group (MESPG) was set up to address the main issues identified in the Marine Renewable Strategic Environmental Assessment, with the post adoption statement published by the Scottish Government in July 2008. The MESPG is responsible for the development of marine planning and simplified consenting processes to facilitate deployments and the commercial breakthrough of the marine renewables and offshore wind energy sectors in Scottish waters.

  The Marine Strategic Studies Forum (MSSF) was established by MESPG to allow wider stakeholders to review MESPG project specifications and outputs and provide feedback to consultants and/or contractors undertaking commissions.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the (a) Marine Energy Group, (b) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group and (c) Marine Strategic Studies Forum.

Richard Lochhead: The membership of the Marine Energy Group consisted of representatives from the following:

  Scottish Renewables Forum

  The Crown Estate

  Scottish Government Energy

  Marine Scotland

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Scottish Enterprise

  Scottish Development International

  Scottish Renewables Forum and other representatives from the renewables industry

  Energy industry

  University of Edinburgh.

  The membership of the Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group consists of representatives from the following:

  Marine Scotland

  Scottish Government Energy

  Scottish Natural Heritage

  The Crown Estate

  Highland Council

  Western Isles Council

  Orkney Islands Council

  Scottish Enterprise

  Highlands and Islands Enterprise

  Scottish Renewables Forum.

  The membership of the Marine Strategic Studies Forum consists of representatives from the following:

  Fishing Industry

  the Chamber of Shipping

  Northern Lighthouse Board

  Maritime and Coastguard Agency

  Royal Society for the Protection of Birds

  Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society

  Ministry of Defence

  Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

  Department of Environment and Climate Change

  British Ports Association

  Historic Scotland

  Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive on what dates the (a) Marine Energy Group, (b) Marine Strategic Studies Forum and (c) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group has met since its inception.

Richard Lochhead: The Marine Energy Group has met on:

  January 2009

  March 2009

  April 2009

  May 2009

  July 2009

  September 2009

  December 2009

  February 2010.

  The Marine Strategic Studies Forum has met on:

  April 2009.

  In addition papers have been circulated for comment regularly.

  The Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group has met on:

  October 2008

  November 2008

  December 2008

  March 2009

  August 2009.

  Representatives from the Marine Strategic Studies Forum and the Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group have also been included in Offshore Wind Strategic Environmental Assessment workshops in February 2010 and related sectoral discussions. Similarly they will be invited to take part in workshops to discuss Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group initiatives on marine planning, including the Pentland Firth and Orkney waters Marine Spatial Plan, and simplified licensing.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it will publish a marine spatial plan for the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters.

Richard Lochhead: The marine spatial plan for the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters is being developed in three stages. Stage 1, which sets out the existing relevant data on these waters as well as the framework for the final plan, will be published in April 2010, alongside draft regional locational guidance. Stage 2, which consists of gathering further information will take place during 2010 and stage 3; the preparation and publication of the final draft of the plan is due for completion in 2011.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what opportunities there will be for public and stakeholder participation in the preparation of the marine spatial plan for the Pentland Firth and Orkney Waters.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government intends to carry out an initial consultation on the framework and draft regional locational guidance starting in April 2010. There will be a full formal public consultation on the final draft of the marine spatial plan, in 2011.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how (a) environmental, (b) fisheries, (c) recreational and (d) shipping interests are represented on the (i) Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group and (ii) Marine Strategic Studies Forum.

Richard Lochhead: The Marine Energy Spatial Planning Group (MESPG) is primarily a Scottish Government/local government partnership on marine renewables and does not contain wider representation.

  The Marine Strategic Studies Forum has representatives from the West of Four Fisheries Management Group, the Chamber of Shipping, Northern Lighthouse Board, Marine and Coastguard Agency, RSPB, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, MoD, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, Department of Environment and Climate Change, British Ports Association, and Historic Scotland.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that the environmental report from the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters will be published.

Richard Lochhead: The Environment Report from the Strategic Environmental Assessment will be published in April 2010.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive when consultation will take place on the environmental report from the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters.

Richard Lochhead: A formal consultation on the Environment Report from the Strategic Environmental Assessment will start in April 2010.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to its news release of 29 October 2008, Potential of offshore wind energy, stating that it would prioritise completion of a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) on offshore wind energy within one year, what the reason is for the delay in the SEA’s completion.

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive for what reason a strategic environmental assessment (SEA) for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters has not yet been completed, given that an SEA for the rest of the United Kingdom’s territorial waters was completed in June 2009.

Richard Lochhead: The Scottish Government is required to ensure that the process of developing the SEA on offshore wind is fully compliant with the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005, and furthermore than the SEA informs the future development plan. In order for this to be the case, the SEA has included an assessment of technical feasibility of future developments as well as an environmental assessment. This has necessarily taken longer than was initially planned, but will provide for a more comprehensive plan that will better serve the industry as well as government and regulators.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive on what date consultants were commissioned to undertake the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters.

Richard Lochhead: The SEA was taken forward in two parts. The first part; a screening and scoping assessment, was taken forward within government in spring 2009 and consulted on with key stakeholders. This assessment has been publicly available since June 2009.

  The second part of the process; the production of an Environment Report, could only be commissioned after completion of the screening and scoping and after following Official Journal of the European Union contract requirements. The consultants, Halcrow, were commissioned on 24 November 2009.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers that the habitats regulations apply to its plan to develop offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters and, if so, what consideration will be given to the implications for Natura 2000 sites.

Richard Lochhead: lang="fr" xml:lang="fr">The Conservation (Natural Habitats, etc.) Regulations 1994 do apply to the plan to develop offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters. Therefore, as part of the offshore wind SEA Environment Report commission, the Scottish Government has also undertaken a pre-screening report to consider appropriate assessment requirements for Natura 2000 sites. The government will make a decision on appropriate assessment work following review of this report.

Renewable Energy

Liam McArthur (Orkney) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the strategic environmental assessment for offshore wind in Scottish territorial waters will spatially identify areas for development, including areas (a) requiring significant protection from development and (b) of search where development is likely to be acceptable, and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Richard Lochhead: The Strategic Environmental Assessment will assess the likely impact upon the environment of offshore wind developments (including cumulative effects from more than one development, and from other types of developments) and identify three types of spatial areas. These will be:

  (a) Areas excluded from development.

  (b) Areas which have considerable environmental constraints and/or conflicts of use with potential offshore wind energy development.

  (c) Areas which have limited environmental constraints and/or conflicts of use with potential offshore wind development.

  The Environment Report will categorise spatial areas into these three types.

Renewable Energy

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what considerations it takes into account when determining applications for onshore wind farm developments and whether such considerations include (a) whether the proposal has a positive carbon payback period and (b) the length of any positive payback period.

Jim Mather: Scottish ministers are responsible for determining applications for energy consents over 50 MW under Section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989, which requires them to consider all material evidence.

  A carbon lifecycle assessment can be one such material consideration.

Renewable Energy

Peter Peacock (Highlands and Islands) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice it gives to onshore wind farm developers on the (a) considerations to be taken into account and (b) methods of calculation to be used in relation to the carbon payback of a proposal, particularly those involving peat land.

Jim Mather: The Scottish Government provides guidance to potential developers of onshore wind farms on the Energy Consents and Deployment Unit website. This includes: links to relevant energy, environmental and planning legislation; an indicative timetable for the processing of A typical application; a draft scoping report and checklist to assist developers in compiling their Environmental Statement; a guide to the fees charged by local authorities and the Scottish Government for processing applications, and guidance on the calculation of potential carbon emission savings from a renewable energy project. This guidance can be viewed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/Energy/Infrastructure/Energy-Consents/Guidance.

  To assist Scottish ministers in making a determination on the application, developers are invited to produce a statement of expected carbon savings over the lifetime of the wind farm.

  It is also important to ensure that the carbon balance of renewable energy projects is not adversely affected by management of peat resource. The Scottish Government employs specialist consultants to assess developers’ peat stability reports as part of the Environmental Statement.

  Developers are encouraged to submit full details of the life cycle carbon footprint of the wind farm. Guidance can be sought at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2008/06/25114657/0.

Renewable Energy

Andy Kerr (East Kilbride) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to questions S3W-26834 and S3W-31314 by Jim Mather on 8 September 2009 and 1 February 2010 respectively, for what reason it has been unable to spend over £8 million of the £13 million allocated by the previous administration for developing wave and tidal energy schemes in the last three years.

Jim Mather: Our spend to date under the WATES scheme is linked solely to the speed at which those projects have advanced and drawn down their grant. The marine renewable industry is an emerging sector with new and innovative technologies, faced with high costs and serious technical challenges. The industry has itself acknowledged, in the Marine Energy Road map published last year, that it has not developed at the pace that was predicted a few years ago.

  The Scottish Government has been as flexible and accommodating as possible to developers who have been awarded a WATES grant. For instance, this administration has consistently agreed to requests by developers to extend their WATES grant period well beyond the initial deadline of March 2007 which was in place when the scheme was launched by the previous administration. This is clear evidence of the commitment we place on the successful delivery of the WATES scheme and the priority the Scottish Government attaches to supporting the sector as a whole.

  We are confident that the developers with outstanding WATES grants will complete their projects and draw down their grant award by the deadline of March 2011. We remain in close discussions with these developers regarding progress being made on their projects in order to ensure that they remain active and that the deadlines for project completion and grant spend will be met.

Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the further benefits are of continuing Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services (SEARS).

Richard Lochhead: SEARS will continue to focus on improving customer experiences of accessing and using the services of SEARS partners. There will be further opportunities to reduce and combine separate service-generated inspections and visits to rural land managers. These changes, allied with further streamlining of bureaucracy, will result in further time-savings to SEARS customers. The staff time freed up by reducing inspections will continue to be re-deployed in improving service delivery. The fee waiver to sheep farmers applying for Groundwater licences will continue to be an annual benefit of around £130,000. CO 2 savings from reduced travel by both customers and SEARS staff will arise from existing and planned SEARS simplifications. SEARS partners will explore the potential to offer access to a wider range of services from more SEARS offices. The SEARS partners will continue to shape further work in response to regular customer surveys and stakeholder feedback.

Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services (SEARS) has saved since its formation.

Richard Lochhead: The main focus of the SEARS Programme is to improve customer experiences of accessing and using the services of SEARS partners. Staff time freed up by reducing inspections has been re-deployed to improve service delivery.

Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services (SEARS) can be expected to save in the future.

Richard Lochhead: The main focus of the SEARS Programme in the future will continue to be to improve customer experiences of accessing and using the services of SEARS partners. The staff time freed up by reducing inspections will continue to be re-deployed in improving service delivery.

Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services

John Scott (Ayr) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether a cost-benefit analysis of Scotland’s Environment and Rural Services (SEARS) has been conducted and, if so, what the results were.

Richard Lochhead: The main focus of the SEARS Programme is to improve customer experiences of accessing and using the services of SEARS partners. While some of these benefits could potentially be measured using a full cost-benefit analysis, there are concerns that the effort involved in such an exercise might be disproportionate to the benefits.

Scottish Driving Assessment Service

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provides for the Scottish Driving Assessment Service.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government has committed to providing a total of £326,000 in grant payments to the Scottish Driving Assessment Service. These contribute towards staffing costs and help meet the cost of an adapted vehicle which is used by the service to provide training. This commitment extends until 2013-14.

Scottish Driving Assessment Service

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to increase funding for the Scottish Driving Assessment Service to reduce waiting times.

Stewart Stevenson: The Scottish Government has committed to providing funding totalling £326,000 to the Scottish Driving Assessment Centre to contribute to staffing costs and the lease of an adapted vehicle. Any decision to increase funding would be taken as part of the next spending review.

Scottish Funding Council

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the Scottish Funding Council’s planned reduction in funding for architecture courses.

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the impact on the industry of the Scottish Funding Council’s planned reduction in funding for architecture courses.

Michael Russell: This is a matter for the Scottish Funding Council (SFC), not Scottish ministers. The SFC’s proposal to reduce funding for the teaching of architecture formed part of its recent consultation on subject price groups. The responses to the consultation are the subject of further consideration and no final decision on price groups has yet been made by the council.

Scottish Funding Council

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has made representations to the Scottish Funding Council to maintain funding levels for architecture courses.

Michael Russell: Further to my answer to question S3W-31132 on 4 February 2010, the Minister for Culture and External Affairs met the Scottish Funding Council on 9 March 2010 to discuss concerns raised by the sector about the council’s proposals to reduce the funding level for architecture, built environment and planning courses.

  All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Scottish Funding Council

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has asked the Scottish Funding Council to explain why it has reduced funding for architecture courses.

Michael Russell: I refer the member to the answers to questions S3W-32198 and S3W-32200 on 15 March 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at:

  http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding it provided to the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance in (a) 2007-08, (b) 2008-09 and has provided in 2009-10 and for what purpose.

Nicola Sturgeon: The Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance (SIAA) has received core funding of £230,000 in 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 from the Scottish Government’s Health Directorates. The SIAA has also received small additional amounts of funding for specific projects they have undertaken for example £10,000 for an advocacy scoping exercise for the Drugs Policy Unit.

  It is a membership organisation responsible for promoting, supporting and defending independent advocacy in Scotland. Its functions include:

  providing information and support to the membership, who are made up of local independent and non-independent advocacy organisations, voluntary sector organisations, statutory agencies and other interested parties.

  working as a central agency to gather and distribute information.

  representing advocacy organisations at various levels.

  raising awareness and understanding of independent advocacy across Scotland.

  ensuring that the independent advocacy movement’s voice is heard at a national level to influence current and future practice and policy.

  providing training on independent advocacy and related issues.

Substance Misuse

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much was spent by (a) Dundee City and (b) Angus Council on community care for adults with addictions or a substance misuse problem in each of the last three years for which information is available.

Fergus Ewing: Local authorities hold data on the expenditure/costs associated with community care services for all people aged 18 to 64 where the primary reason for care relates to a drug, alcohol, or other substance addiction or misuse. Table 1 provides the net revenue expenditure on adults with addictions and substance misuse for Angus and Dundee City for the last three years for which data are available. 2008-09 figures will be published on 25 March 2010.

  Table 1: Local Authorities’ Net Revenue Expenditure on Adults with Addictions and Substance Misuse Problems

  

Local Authority
2005-06 (£ 000)
2006-07 (£ 000)
2007-08 (£ 000)


Angus
248
250
313


Dundee City
285
280
276



  Source: Local Financial Return LFR 3 (Social Work).